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Stock vs. hard plastic vs. solid aluminum are definitely different hardnesses but I really don't think they'll make that much difference in those bushings. Even the stock ones have very little give/play. It is nothing like the front/rear shifter bushings. I'll be doing them anyways, but I really doubt they'll have much of an impact. Like maybe short shift is 70%, shifter bushings are 25%, and the other bushings are 5%. I guess we'll see.

The rear bushing can be done with the exhaust and driveshaft in place. I would remove the tranny "H" brace to have a little more room. Getting the bolts in is a bit tough. You have to keep in mind the that the bolts will NOT be going in straight/perpendicular to the bottom of the bushing. They go in slightly angled. I mentioned this to Kartboy, and they just said deal with it. Lol. Works fine once you get it started, but it's very easy to strip out the threads in the car and then you're hosed.

Stock vs. hard plastic vs. solid aluminum are definitely different hardnesses but I really don't think they'll make that much difference in those bushings. Even the stock ones have very little give/play. It is nothing like the front/rear shifter bushings. I'll be doing them anyways, but I really doubt they'll have much of an impact. Like maybe short shift is 70%, shifter bushings are 25%, and the other bushings are 5%. I guess we'll see.

The rear bushing can be done with the exhaust and driveshaft in place. I would remove the tranny "H" brace to have a little more room. Getting the bolts in is a bit tough. You have to keep in mind the that the bolts will NOT be going in straight/perpendicular to the bottom of the bushing. They go in slightly angled. I mentioned this to Kartboy, and they just said deal with it. Lol. Works fine once you get it started, but it's very easy to strip out the threads in the car and then you're hosed.

I did that then just tapped them. But I have all the tools for stuff like that. Like my downpipe bolt that was jacked up from the factory.

Yeah, it's kind of a mediocre design, IMO. But I doubt it will change. People have been dealing with it for years, and doing it right would cost more so people would still probably just buy the current ones.

Depending how bad you mess them up you can probably just run a tap through the threads and clean them up. Worst case you'll have to retap a larger size. Not the end of the world, but still a pain.

Yeah, it's kind of a mediocre design, IMO. But I doubt it will change. People have been dealing with it for years, and doing it right would cost more so people would still probably just buy the current ones.

Depending how bad you mess them up you can probably just run a tap through the threads and clean them up. Worst case you'll have to retap a larger size. Not the end of the world, but still a pain.

I agree it is kind of a pain to get them started but once you do it's not bad and like you said it's been this way for years

Kartboy cited the fact that everyone has copied that design (which they have), so it must be good. Lol. I agree that it's cheap and it gets the job done once it's installed. I definitely think there's room for improvement on the install side of the design. A two piece design with a polymer bonded to a metal base (similar to the stock design, but a harder compound) would probably be best, but it would probably double the cost.

Yeah, it's kind of a mediocre design, IMO. But I doubt it will change. People have been dealing with it for years, and doing it right would cost more so people would still probably just buy the current ones.

Depending how bad you mess them up you can probably just run a tap through the threads and clean them up. Worst case you'll have to retap a larger size. Not the end of the world, but still a pain.

I ended up stripping one of mine. They were pretty easy to get to honestly, and I would have been done with the front and rear bushings in less than an hour. Then after getting one bolt in and not being able to get the other one in perfectly, I had stripped one of the threads in the body because the effing holes in the bushings weren't far enough apart to line up both bolts. I had to cut notches in the stock bolt and run it in the threads to 'tap' them back out. Then put one bolt in and push the bushing to the side with a pry bar to get the other bolt started and in correctly. I wanted to murder whoever made that bushing (TWM...). Their response was "oh we don't actually make the bushing, guess the tolerances are slightly off, tough toodles".

It's partly tolerances but mostly because the mounting surface isn't actually flat so it's designed to have some bend/stretch. If it were designed properly the tolerances would be much less of an issue.

This is really good info, I will be trying to put those bolts in by hand until I can feel that they are starting properly. I think I will also attempt that bushing as soon as I gain access to it to try and keep from getting impatient and cross threading it. I appreciate the info

Glad to see I'm not the lone weenie for struggling with those bolts. Put line in a couple of days ago. The holes line up exactly top the stock ones, so I don't see it being an issue with the bushing itself. Beautiful car by the way xluben. Been creeping around on here for a while, and have learned a lot.

Yes, the holes are basically in the right spots, they're just not quite the right angle. It's very close though. Once you get them in it's fine, it's just making sure you get them started properly. Here are some photos I took where you can see the very slight difference:

Yeah makes sense. Your pictures and measurements also made me stick to the OEM "sti" short shifter which feels fine now with just the bushings. I'm so used to Honda trannies and the slop in the wrx shifter was driving me nuts. Problem solved though. Thank you.

Those pictures give me a better idea of what I'm dealing with, looks like you have to get the bushing to flex enough to make that angle of the stock bracket. I should be installing the whole kit this Saturday, crossing my fingers for it to go as smooth as possible.

I know it has been posted thousands of time but how hard is it to install those kartboy shifter bushings? I already have the STS and if I didn't have to take that out I probably wouldn't have mind going under the car to install these bushings.

I know it has been posted thousands of time but how hard is it to install those kartboy shifter bushings? I already have the STS and if I didn't have to take that out I probably wouldn't have mind going under the car to install these bushings.

You don't have to remove the shifter to do the front and rear bushings. They are discussed on this page and the last. They're really quite easy. Just make sure not to cross thread the bolt holes for the rear bushing.

Yes, I did. That actually sparked the question. I realize you don't plan on it but I guess that means you're somewhat limited to where you can drive to, right?

I don't really drive out of state much at all. But most places in the midwest I could plan ahead and make it on E85. But it's really not common that I would go that far, and if I did it would probably be in my wife's car that gets a lot better mileage. I don't have a Tactrix cable to be able to flash my car anyways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by luan87us

Hmm so I don't have to remove the shifter inside the car at all? Not sure why I read I have to remove the whole sts assembly to be able to install these bushings.

For the front and rear bushings (the ones that make the most difference) you do it all from under the car. The tranny brace and a heat shield need to be removed or partially removed, but other than that it's not much work.

For the front and rear bushings (the ones that make the most difference) you do it all from under the car. The tranny brace and a heat shield need to be removed or partially removed, but other than that it's not much work.